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The gripping tale about two boys, once as close as brothers, who find themselves on opposite sides of the Holocaust.
Elliot Rosenzweig, a respected civic leader and wealthy philanthropist, is attending a fundraiser when he is suddenly accosted and accused of being a former Nazi SS officer named Otto Piatek, the Butcher of Zamosc. Although the charges are denounced as preposterous, his accuser is convinced he is right and engages attorney Catherine Lockhart to bring Rosenzweig to justice. Solomon persuades attorney Catherine Lockhart to take his case, revealing that the true Piatek was abandoned as a child and raised by Solomon's own family only to betray them during the Nazi occupation. But has Solomon accused the right man?
Once We Were Brothers is Ronald H. Balson's compelling tale of two boys and a family who struggle to survive in war-torn Poland, and a young love that struggles to endure the unspeakable cruelty of the Holocaust. Two lives, two worlds, and sixty years converge in an explosive race to redemption that makes for a moving and powerful tale of love, survival, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit.
- Sales Rank: #10394 in Books
- Brand: Balson, Ronald H.
- Published on: 2013-10-08
- Released on: 2013-10-08
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.24" h x 1.04" w x 5.46" l, .76 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 400 pages
Review
“This is as compelling a story as you would ever want to read...This book is different in its passion and its presentation. It is worth your time and you won't be disappointed. Once We Were Brothers is a new look at an old story, and it will stay with you long after you have finished it.” ―Jackie K Cooper, Huffington Post
“The phenomenal triumph of lawyer-author John Grisham's legal thrillers has spawned surprisingly few successful emulators; however, Chicago attorney Balson's first novel, while featuring a young lawyer heroine, Catherine Lockhart, who sees her bar admission as a license to further justice, is no simple imitation of Grisham's entertaining potboilers..., this novel is uplifting and moving, intelligently written and featuring historically accurate context and an unusual insight into human character and motivations. Highly recommended for all readers.” ―Starred Library Journal Review
“Balson does a number of things superbly: he crafts a highly readable plotline and makes great use of the Chicago backdrop…many will enjoy this gripping novel for its narrative drive and its emotional storytelling.” ―Booklist Review
“The author describes the atrocities of wartime Poland and the beautiful, eternal romance between Ben Solomon and his wife, Hannah. Balson's first novel is hard to put down.” ―The Jewish Book World
“A legal thriller...a reader knows he's writing from the inside. ” ―Chicago Jewish Star
About the Author
RONALD H. BALSON is a Chicago trial attorney, an educator and a writer. His practice has taken him to several international venues, including villages in Poland that inspired his first novel, Once We Were Brothers.
Most helpful customer reviews
266 of 277 people found the following review helpful.
NOT YOUR USUAL LEGAL THRILLER
By Charles J. Aron
When I learned that my law school classmate, Ronald Balson, had written a
legal novel entitled, Once We Were Brothers, I knew that I just had to read it. If I
expected to read something along the lines of a Turrow, Grisham or Martini, legal
thriller, I was pleasantly surprised - it wasn't.
The story begins when Ben Solomon, an 83 year old retired city worker,
appears at the opening night gala of Chicago's Lyric Opera and puts a gun to the
head of Elliot Rosenzweig, an insurance magnate and one of Chicago's most
prominent citizens and philanthropists. We learn that the gun was unloaded and
Ben says that his motive was that he wanted to exposed Elliot as being an
impostor - that Elliot really was Otto Piatek, a former SS officer known in Poland
as the "Butcher of Zamosc". It was at this time that Elliot Rosenzweig declared
for the first time that he was himself a Holocaust survivor and definitely not an
SS officer. He then revealed his arm which bore a concentration camp tattoo.
Who would represent Ben? This crime was committed in front of hundreds of
people and Rosenzweig had been declared by the Mayor Chicago to be "Chicago's
treasure."
Attorney Catherine Lockhart, who was working for one of Chicago's major
white collar firms, made the "mistake" that many attorneys do, by answering her
telephone. She was asked if she could do a favor for a friend - words an attorney
hates to hear. What was supposed to be only an hour or two of listening to the tale
of this "delusional" old man, turned into many hours of interviews with Ben, who
tells his tale with astounding and poignant clarity and no matter how hard
Catherine pushes him to "get to the point", he has a tale to tell, and he will tell it
in his own way and in his own time. Even after the original charges were
dropped, because Elliot refused to prosecute a delusional old man, Ben insisted
that he be allowed to persist in HIS charges, and Catherine agrees.
The story shifts, back and forth from Chicago, 2004, to Poland from 1936-
1944, with vivid (and in the case of Chicago - geographically accurate) images
from both eras. As we hear Ben's story - how his family took in a young German
boy and raised him as their own, only for him to leave their house when grown
and return as an SS Officer, known as the "Butcher of Zamosc", we see how the
Jewish community in Poland dealt with the ever growing Nazi threat. Ben tells the
story of his family and his love for Hannah, his wife. It is a story of hope and
despair; of heroism and cowardice; of loyalty and treachery. All of these traits
were found in Poland AND in Chicago. Unlike many Holocaust stories, this story
does not take place in the Camps - it deals with Ben's family and community and
how they dealt (or in some cases - didn't) with the threat to their very being.
Meanwhile, in the scenes taking place in Chicago, we find Catherine
becoming more and more involved with Ben. She does so at the threat of losing
her job with her firm and, at times, in danger of losing more. No matter how clear
Ben is in his description of the atrocities caused at the hands of Otto (Elliot), there
is one continuous problem - he has no proof.
Elliot is now represented by one of the larger law firms in Chicago and they
are attempting to drown Catherine in paper. The Judge appears to have a certain
"sympathy" for Elliot. Elliot is the darling of the media. This is definitely a David
v. Goliath venture. However, a theme developed between Ben and Catherine and
which was the motto of the Polish Freedom Fighters (and the motto of most
criminal defense attorneys) - "Nigdy sie nie Poddamy" Never Surrender."
The novel ends with an exciting and somewhat unexpected finish and don't
be surprised if you find a tear or two running down your cheeks.
If a lawyer spends a great number of years representing indigent clients,
often fighting the system, he or she often becomes more than a little jaded and
their "legal battery" becomes more than a little in need of a recharge. Charles
Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" opens with the immortal line, "It was the best of
times; it was the worst of times." In "Once We We Brothers", Balson writes of the
best in humanity and the worst in humanity; the best in the law and the worst in
the law; and the best in lawyers and the worst in lawyers. If you find your "legal
battery" is in need of a recharge, or your moral compass needs a reset, this novel
is just what you need.
167 of 177 people found the following review helpful.
Very good. Entertaining and informative
By Paul Bruns
I bought this on a friend's recommendation and didn't really know what to expect. Historical fiction based in Nazi-occupied Poland, bouncing back and forth to present day America. I ended up loving this book. It is part legal thriller, part action/love story, and part history book. The descriptions of Europe and what was happening from a human perspective in the 1940's were so vivid that I actually feel more informed and knowledgeable after having read it. You can tell that the author really did his research. Enjoyable and informative - I can't ask for much more than that. It's a cliche to say that you "just couldn't put the book down." But last night, I had intended to go to bed at around 10 PM. When did I actually get to bed? 2 AM, after I finished this book.
58 of 61 people found the following review helpful.
At heart, it's a love story.
By Leslie D. Seymour
Ron Balson's first novel, Once We Were Brothers, combines the best of historical fact, spellbinding fiction and personal drama. Although set in war-torn Europe and the legal world of modern Chicago, it's not your typical courtroom drama with historical flashbacks; it's also a love story that crosses both time and geographical boundaries. As an attorney in Chicago who also has spent time in southern Poland, I know firsthand that this book is accurate in its portrayal of both worlds. Add well-developed fictional characters, suspense and a great ending, and you won't be able to put this book down.Once We Were Brothers
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